Exploration and Discovery

Exploration and discovery are the core of cycling for me. I love to find those new roads, explore where they go. Or where they don't go in some cases. Finding out is where the fun is at.

Last night Cathy and I did a little exploring around the back side of Lake Willoughby in Westmore, VT. Less than twenty miles from us, we occasionally ride in the area but not really that often. It is just far enough pout that it's tough to get to, ride and get home from after work and before dark. On the weekends we tend to hit other loops simply because we don't have the vocabulary of roads in that area, the local knowledge. This year we are trying to expand our knowledge.

The ride took us out the West side of the lake and got remote pretty quickly. It cut below Wheeler Mountain to the East and dropped down to RT5 before cutting back up into the Willoughby State Forest. From there we did some forest roads which I didn't realize are XC ski trails in the winter. Guess I have a reason to head back next winter. Great fun, some wonderful ClassIV and some scenic views.

That's what it is all about and further, now we know.

Back side heading toward Wheeler Mountain.

Wheeler Mountain Rd heading South.

Mt Pisgah from CCC road.

KG1.1 Routes are Finalized

The main full 127.8 mile, 15000' vertical gain route for the Kingdom Graveleur 1.1 ride this coming Saturday is set and have been posted to the Google group. This will be the route for anyone really wanting to test themselves, their fitness and their resolve with a 1500' four mile long optional out and back climb staring you in the face at mile 110 or so.

I've also put together two other route options, one that cuts off a nine mile loop at mile 62 of the ride, out an unmaintained ClassIV road and also leaves off the out and back climb up to the East Mountain Radar Base which hits less than 20 miles from the finish. This route is 110 miles and about 13000' of gain.

There is also another more sane option that is 87 miles and finishes with just over 10000' of climb on the day. Still a beast by any stretch given that none of the routes have more than a few miles of paved surface all told. We all wanted gravel so here we have it. This route also makes is way back through East Burke by civilization and a number of stores as well as the Tiki Bar, on far less remote roads. If the day isn't going as well as you had hoped or if an eight plus hour ride is enough, then this is the route for you.

If you are still considering the ride, please get on the Google list as that is the only way that you will get the actual ride details and routes.

Remember, the Kingdom Graveleur 1.1 Ride is a self led, self paced, self supported ride. You need to be, must be, responsible for yourself as there will be nobody to help you and certainly nobody to rescue you. The tcx route files are posted and you will be required to navigate from them or from maps or cue sheets that you obtain. There will be no signs, arrows or marking and all roads are public and fully open to all traffic. Be careful.

This is not a race, it is simply a ride, though I think that there will be plenty of competition to be had against oneself and the terrain. No doubt, this will be challenging regardless of which way you go and will test both you and your equipment.

One Week Out

So we are one week out from Kingdom Graveleur 1.1. The weather has been insanely fickle in the region, as it has for much of the year. Yesterday we rode in long sleeves and tights, today we couldn't keep cool seeking out shade at every opportunity. What do we expect next Saturday? Who knows though the past two Saturday's at least have been good so lets hope.

Regardless, we will be riding bikes and we can always custom tailor the route if need be. It's certain to be an adventure for everyone who chooses to take part. Yes, it will be hard and yes, it will be a long day in the saddle but we all love riding bikes and if there is one thing that Americans learn early is that more is always better, right?

We can defer that to the end of the ride next Saturday and see how we feel then.

Making Progress on KG1.1

We are currently making progress toward the Kingdom Graveleur 1.1 Ride coming up just a couple of weeks from today. It's coming up fast indeed.

I've created a KingdomGraveleur Google group for ride signup and notifications as well as future events. Get in the van and join the group now as space is extremely limited. I'm thinking that we are only going to be able to handle about 15 people total for this self led, self supported group adventure. The gating factor is parking, which we have precious little of at the Gravel Camp HQ and there is no real "on road" parking where we are. With that, carpool or ride to the ride for extra credit.

Kingdom Graveleur 1.1 Ride

OK, here's the deal. We are going to do this thing as a ride followed by a post ride pot luck style feast starting and finishing from the Kingdom Graveleur Gravel Camp HQ in South Kirby, VT which is just a few miles from RT2.

We'll try and stay together as much as possible but I'm sure we will end up with groups. This is a rugged course with lots of great gravel roads, and some ClassIV as well. t's not nearly as brutal as the IRR though, however it has no more than 5 miles of paved road all told. You prefer gravel, I hope. We certainly do.

This is a self supported ride, which means no sag, no support, no rescue. Bring everything that you will need to make it back. This means spare tubes, inflation, tools, hydration and nutrition, money to buy more of the former on the way and proper clothing to name a few.

We did a 91 mile ride with much of this route minus the trip over Walden and back Stannard Mountains and the Radar Base last year and it took just over 7 hours moving time. The up and back of East Mountain to the Radar Base summit is an hour, anyhow and the Walden/Stannard arm is a solid couple of hours as well so plan on this being about a 10 hour ride best case, 11 hours at a more reasonable pace. We should have plenty of daylight though plan accordingly.

Now, the route has some cut through sections if people don't want the entire ride. They are pretty obvious when you look at the map. The Walden/Stannard loop you will want to do, partially for the views incredible but also for the rest stop at Top of the Mountain Vegetable Farm at about mile 47. After Stannard though there is a cutoff at mile 61.5 that will drop about 10 miles and over 1500' of gain. At mile 75.75 there is a small store where you can refuel. It's the only one that we actually ride by, though there are places to refuel just off the route in Danville and West Burke. Obviously, the other cut off is the East Mountain Radar Base out and back. I did that a couple of weeks back. It's tough, even on fresh legs. There is no shame in skipping it.

So, with that. registration will be a simple RSVP handled by a response here in a follow up post or in a note to us. We will have some space onsite for a few folks to stay and a bunch more to tent out on a first come first serve basis. We can probably wedge 10 vehicles in overnight assuming it doesn't continue to rain daily for the next few weeks. There will also be a ride on Sunday as well, though the scope will be TBD.

Oh, and here's the route. We have ridden all but a few miles of the roads so far this year and everything is passable. They are also all public roads.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20061635